Tag: Nookpods -New Ways Of Working

For several years now, I’ve been very interested in freelancing and coworking because they are some of the important things at the heart of the “new way of working”. So, Do company caught my attention with their “new ways of working”.

It turns out that what they are talking about is modular furniture, in the form of a self-contained, wheeled mini-office, which they call “mobile modular huddle pod,”. Each nook has room for about four workers, a table, lighting, connectivity, etc. [1]

Notably, this piece provides a closed workspace, and is kind of a reply to the supposedly universal “open plan” office. They offer a succinct critique of the open plan office, “Nooksters benefit from increased productivity through better focus; experience more effective phone & Skype calls; and hold more powerful small meeting.”

They make the interesting remark that the original design was to meet the workplace needs of “those on the autistic spectrum”. But apparently, almost anyone might actually need an office, at least some of the time.

Of course, these units are marketed to coworking space operators rather than the workers themselves. From that perspective, they offer flexibility for the workspace. The pod is on wheels and they can be connected into larger groupings.

The company claims (without evidence) that “Nook helps everyone to improve their personal wellbeing, as well as adding efficiency & flexibility of space while creating greater engagement between people.” I’m not sure how these boxes achieve any of those purported benefits, especially compared to alternatives such as permanent offices (including the “booths” becoming common in coworking spaces), open plan spaces, are any of the other ways people might organize a workspace.

And obviously, there is nothing particular “new” about this way of working, though it looks like it’s kind of convenient for a workspace operator who wants to change the configuration of the space from day to day.

I admit that these look kind of cool. But they don’t look like particularly good workspaces to me. They are pretty small, and the seating looks horribly uncomfortable (and, by the way, not ADA accessible). The whole “huddling in a pod” thing seems to preclude natural light and air circulation. And it’s temporary and insecure, so you can’t really do anything confidential. And so on.

There isn’t anything wrong with this product. In fact, I kind of like it.

But to me, the essence of the “new way of working” is in the interaction of workers (and others). In the case of coworking, the essence is the development of a community of “like minded” peers.

These social things are the special sauce and “the big idea” of contemporary coworking. And they can happen in pretty much any environment. So “huddle pods” or any other clever furnishings can be used for successful coworking, but they are neither necessary or sufficient to create the community spirit that is so valuable.